Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum

Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
& my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
crowded land of southern California.

We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.

Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
1st??

I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...

Thank You in advance for any help...

Brian

Brian I would strongly suggest you NOT buy a FC31 since there are 5
in your family. You are going to find it cramped and not enough
storage for you.
would also suggest a FC 35 with two couches in the front room and a
side bath. There were more FC35s made and they will give you a lot
more room and maybe even cheaper then a FC31.

tom warner
vernon center,ny
1985 PT 40

At 08:14 PM 12/14/2006, you wrote:
>Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
>& my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
>3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
>travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
>expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
>to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
>crowded land of southern California.
>
>We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
>spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
>of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.
>
>Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
>at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
>does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
>1st??
>
>I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...
>
>Thank You in advance for any help...
>
>Brian
>

Ugh! Ouch!
Rule #1: Never buy anything unless you touch, smell and feel it. If you do not
feel comfortable with inspecting the Bird, someone out there on this Forum can
check it out for you. If someone on this Forum knows a particular Bird that may
a different story.

Rule #2: You and your young family are going to be riding around in that hummer
and they are relying on you to keep them safe. It is important that all major
components of the coach are mechanically sound. You can address cosmetics later
if you chose.

If you quickly plan to upgrade why not consider the upgrade now as opposed to
quickly later?

Excitement is great. The Birds are great. Get the best one you can for the
dollars you spend, and that one may not necessarily be the first choice.

Happy Holidays;

Leroy Eckert
1990 WB-40 "Smoke N Mirrors"
Niceville, FL






----- Original Message -----
From: t3brian
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 7:14 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] BlueBird wannabe... I WANT TO BUY A BIRD .....


Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
& my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
crowded land of southern California.

We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.

Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
1st??

I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...

Thank You in advance for any help...

Brian






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Let me chime in;
I have talked to the owner of the Bird in Texas...the price is very
attractive. Did he tell you that the genset had been replaced and "didn't work
quite right yet"? Did he tell you that "yeah, I ground the rust off of the
pulleys and the rest looks OK"? Did you note that the portion of the dash that
houses the switches for the rear lights, genset gauges, low air alarms, etc. is
missing? Don't get me wrong, I think that this rig is a really great deal for
someone at 15K, but are you VERY mechanically and electrically inclined??? If
not, I don't think this is the BB for you and your family.
As a newbie to BB ownership, but an "oldie" to "unique" vehicles, let me say
that without a doubt in my mind, the Wanderlodge (I can only speak for the FC's,
but I assume this is true across the board) are in a class fo their own as far
as quality and value goes. That said, they also are unlike anything I could have
imagined as far as complexity and potential maintenence goes. They thrive
(sorry, should I say DEMAND) attention and do not do well (understatement)
without it. Lee and I lucked out with Pokey, he was probably waivering right on
the edge of neglect, but has come back with flying colors...and hours of head
scratching, bleeding knuckles and heartfelt attention.
If you and your family (and I stress this connection) pursue your Bluebird
quest, welcome! But buying an older Bird to "go where no family has gone before"
is not for the faint of heart...or pocketbook.
Only the best to you and your family. Doug n' Pokey

Leroy Eckert wrote:
Ugh! Ouch!
Rule #1: Never buy anything unless you touch, smell and feel it. If you do not
feel comfortable with inspecting the Bird, someone out there on this Forum can
check it out for you. If someone on this Forum knows a particular Bird that may
a different story.

Rule #2: You and your young family are going to be riding around in that hummer
and they are relying on you to keep them safe. It is important that all major
components of the coach are mechanically sound. You can address cosmetics later
if you chose.

If you quickly plan to upgrade why not consider the upgrade now as opposed to
quickly later?

Excitement is great. The Birds are great. Get the best one you can for the
dollars you spend, and that one may not necessarily be the first choice.

Happy Holidays;

Leroy Eckert
1990 WB-40 "Smoke N Mirrors"
Niceville, FL

----- Original Message -----
From: t3brian
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 7:14 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] BlueBird wannabe... I WANT TO BUY A BIRD .....

Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
& my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
crowded land of southern California.

We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.

Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
1st??

I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...

Thank You in advance for any help...

Brian

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






Doug Engel, Gunnison, CO. 1981 FC35SB "Pokey"

---------------------------------
Access over 1 million songs - Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "t3brian"
wrote:
>
> Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few
months
> & my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of
6,
> 3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
> travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
> expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a
place
> to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from
the
> crowded land of southern California.
>
> We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to
be
> spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have
visions
> of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next
BB.
>
> Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
> at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on
Vintagebirds..
> does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving
it
> 1st??
>
> I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it
home...
>
> Thank You in advance for any help...
>
> Brian
>
Sure sounds like you are quite the idealist. With all due respect to
your worthy goals, I would consider something newer and financiable.
I purchased a fixer FC from Houston, paid 15k, by the time I had it
ready for use I had close to 40k invested and that figure does not
include labor costs. You might do well to consider a large towable.
I like Newmars personally.
Mike Hohnstein
Germantown, WI
83FC35

Brian,
I would think long and hard before buying any motor home or camper without
inspecting it first. As complex as these Bluebirds of any age are you probably
need a professional to help you. There are several members of the forum that you
can hire to help with professional inspections. Ralph Fullenwider, [ rlf47 at
swbell dot net ] is one you could contact. If he can't do it he could probably
give you a contact that could. Remember the old saying "pay me now or pay me
later." If you buy one for $15,000.00 and have to spend another $15,000.00
getting it back to a point of being safe. Remember if what you can see looks bad
what you can't see is probably a lot worse [enternal workings of the engine,
transmission, cooling systems]. I would bite the bullit and buy one that has
been maintained in good condition. Hank Hankerson has a very nice 31 footer
stored in Las Vegas that he is asking $31,000 for. He has had a lot of upgrades
done to this coach. He just completed a trip from Vegas to Michigan to Florida
and back to Vegas. He's in Australia now but is to be back in Vegas in January.
You can contact him through this forum. I believe he is planning to be at the
Quartzite rally the end of January.
I agree that a 31 footer is a little small for a family of 4 kids. If you plan
on trading up shortly I personally would be looking for a 36 - 38 footer with
side bath and double couches. You are going to need the extra room. Also I
believe south west Georgia would make a wounderful place to relocate to.
Howard Truitt
Camilla, Ga.
86 PT40
Sowega


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Brian,

Where in Southern California do you live?

SOUTHWEST BLUEBIRDS and friends is an informal group of Wanderlodge
owners, most of whom live in Southern California. We are having a
rally in Quartzsite on January 26-28, 2007.

As suggested on the forum, it would be unwise to put any money down on
a coach sight unseen, and before you've checked it out thoroughly.

Why not join us at our Quartzsite rally, meet a bunch of owners, tour
the different models with your kids, and ask questions. Then you'll
have a lot more info to work with. Also, there will be a couple of
owner at the rally who are bringing their 'for sale' units.

If you are interested, use the email reply functions of this forum
let me know.

Phil Corpus
'iWander' 85PT40
Left Coast



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "t3brian" wrote:
>
> Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
> & my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
> 3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
> travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
> expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
> to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
> crowded land of southern California.
>
> We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
> spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
> of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.
>
> Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
> at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
> does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
> 1st??
>
> I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...
>
> Thank You in advance for any help...
>

Center door 1994 on Trader On Line - Phoenix
994 BLUEBIRD WANDERLODGE 40', Detroit 8V92T, 5-Speed Allison, very well
maintained. Nice interior. Call Wayne for more information at (602)
625-4430.. More Details & Photos

Ad ID - 86975074 Last Updated:
13-DEC-06

Dave Erickson

-----Original Message-----
From: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of iwander_85pt40
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 3:39 PM
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: BlueBird wannabe... I WANT TO BUY A BIRD
.....

Hi Brian,

Where in Southern California do you live?

SOUTHWEST BLUEBIRDS and friends is an informal group of Wanderlodge
owners, most of whom live in Southern California. We are having a
rally in Quartzsite on January 26-28, 2007.

As suggested on the forum, it would be unwise to put any money down on
a coach sight unseen, and before you've checked it out thoroughly.

Why not join us at our Quartzsite rally, meet a bunch of owners, tour
the different models with your kids, and ask questions. Then you'll
have a lot more info to work with. Also, there will be a couple of
owner at the rally who are bringing their 'for sale' units.

If you are interested, use the email reply functions of this forum
let me know.

Phil Corpus
'iWander' 85PT40
Left Coast



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "t3brian" wrote:
>
> Hello, I have been researching BlueBird Wanderlodges for a few months
> & my wife & I are now ready to buy our 1st BB. We have a family of 6,
> 3 boys under 7 & 1 newborn baby girl. We have a burning desire to
> travel our great country to discover all that it has to offer and
> expose our kids to the grand USA! We actually are looking for a place
> to relocate our family and computer-technology business away from the
> crowded land of southern California.
>
> We have a very small budget... but we realize that our $$ needs to be
> spent on an older BB instead of any other RV. We already have visions
> of starting off with our 1st BB and quickly upgrading to the next BB.
>
> Does anybody know of an older FC for sale???? I am currently looking
> at an 80 FC33 located outside of Houston, I found it on Vintagebirds..
> does anybody have anyhints for buying a BB without actually driving it
> 1st??
>
> I am considering buying it and then flying to Texas to drive it home...
>
> Thank You in advance for any help...
>

Not available. Don't know all the details, but...

My own personal chronology with this:
Friday Dec 8th, called about the '94 mid-door in Missouri that had been for sale
since July. Told that it sold "yesterday."

Monday, called Desert West Coach in Phoenix to talk about the Birds they have,
and also inquired about the '94 "coming soon" that they had up for a few days.
Told that it had come in Friday, and sold in 15 minutes - they were just
starting paper work on it when a gy walked in and said "I want to buy it."

Wednesday the ad listed below appeared, clearly the same picture of the Missouri
coach. Called the number, and Wayne turns out to the guy at Desert West, who
confirmed that it had sold on arrival.

All one-and-the-same vechicle.

On 12/15/2006 at 5:52 PM Dave wrote:

>Center door 1994 on Trader On Line - Phoenix
>994 BLUEBIRD WANDERLODGE 40', Detroit 8V92T, 5-Speed Allison, very well
>maintained. Nice interior. Call Wayne for more information at (602)
>625-4430.. More Details & Photos
>
>Ad ID - 86975074 Last Updated:
>13-DEC-06
>
>Dave Erickson

Don Bradner
Bird Wannabe
Currently 2003 Safari Zanzibar

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Don Bradner" wrote:
>
> Not available. Don't know all the details, but...
>
> My own personal chronology with this:
> Friday Dec 8th, called about the '94 mid-door in Missouri that had
been for sale since July. Told that it sold "yesterday."
>
> Monday, called Desert West Coach in Phoenix to talk about the Birds
they have, and also inquired about the '94 "coming soon" that they had
up for a few days. Told that it had come in Friday, and sold in 15
minutes - they were just starting paper work on it when a gy walked in
and said "I want to buy it."
>
> Wednesday the ad listed below appeared, clearly the same picture of
the Missouri coach. Called the number, and Wayne turns out to the guy
at Desert West, who confirmed that it had sold on arrival.
>
> All one-and-the-same vechicle.
>
> On 12/15/2006 at 5:52 PM Dave wrote:
>
> >Center door 1994 on Trader On Line - Phoenix
> >994 BLUEBIRD WANDERLODGE 40', Detroit 8V92T, 5-Speed Allison, very well
> >maintained. Nice interior. Call Wayne for more information at (602)
> >625-4430.. More Details & Photos
> >
> >Ad ID - 86975074 Last Updated:
> >13-DEC-06
> >
> >Dave Erickson
>
> Don Bradner
> Bird Wannabe
> Currently 2003 Safari Zanzibar
>
Thank you to everyone that has offered advice to my question... and I
apologize that it took me awhile to get back to this forum...
unfortunatley we had a death in our family..... and I am just now
getting back to daily life.....

We have carefully considered all of your comments.... we are viewing
an 83 PT40 in the Palm Springs area tomorrow.... I think that this is
a much better fit for our family......I will post back and notify that
we are BlueBird owners or still just newbies!

Thankyou

Brian Prinkki